Cyberbullying a $444M problem for NZ, new report reveals

New Zealand’s first-ever report into
the economic effect of online harm estimates the cost to
individuals, communities and interventions to be $444m every
year.

The research undertaken by leading economist
Shamubeel Eaqub provides an important new assessment of the
damage from online bullying and harassment. To date,
cyberbullying has been primarily understood in terms of
social cost and personal harm. This report provides a fresh
perspective on the size of the problem, and the way it
impacts society.

“We know there is significant harm
caused to victims of online abuse and harassment,” says
Netsafe CEO, Martin Cocker. “It frays community cohesion
and places additional demands on services like health. What
really stands out is the sheer size of the problem, and the
way the burden falls upon friends and family. This report
gives us a starting point to begin to understand the full
impact of this behaviour here in New Zealand, and where to
best focus interventions and responses.”

The survey
commissioned for the report reveals that 1 in 10 NZ adults
have personally experienced online harm, and that 64% of
people are worried about the impact of cyberbullying and its
effects on society at large.

Lead economist for the
report, Shamubeel Eaqub, says that cyberbullying has a much
wider affect than the individual person being targeted and
that more could be done to address the
risks.

“Typically, we think of harm from cyberbullying
as affecting an individual victim, but there can besocietal
and even economic impacts. Our ability to communicate
facilitates trade, transfer of knowledge and deepens social
connections.

If that ability is affected by such a
pervasive problem, then it will have a knock-on effect on
the economy. New technology has become ubiquitous, but when
we look into the scale of the effect of cyberbullying, it is
apparent that resourcing to manage the risks has not kept
pace,” says Eaqub.

The report states that cyberbullying
is often associated with emotional and psychological
conditions, including stress, lower self-esteem and life
satisfaction. The anonymity available online means that
cyberbullying is more intense than in person, and some
research suggests that there could be a greater negative
impact on happiness and wellbeing from cyberbullying than
social bullying.

Cocker says that the report recognises
the potential for severe and long-lasting effects on the
targets of cyberbullying.

“Cyberbullying can be hugely
impactful. The report shows that it can reduce educational
achievement and has been linked to poorer health outcomes in
some countries,” says Cocker.

The estimated $444M cost
includes a number of factors such as loss of life, the cost
of time and resources spent on the victims of bullying and
the willingness of survey participants to pay to avoid
cyberbullying. It does not include the long-term cost of
cyberbullying on mental health, physical health and
productivity, which Eaqub says would likely significantly
increase the cost.

Shamubeel Eaqub will be presenting the
full findings of the report at The Crossroads 2018
Trans-Tasman Online Safety Conference tomorrow in Auckland.
The conference is co-hosted by Netsafe and the Australian
Office of the eSafety Commissioner to bring together online
safety professionals and others working in online safety
related fields.

The report was commissioned by Netsafe to
estimate the societal cost of cyberbullying in New
Zealand.

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